Air-brake system.



"PATENTED JULY. 17 1906.

D.- FBLTEN. AIR BRAKE SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED 11031.25. 1905.

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i l s 3 a n a DAVID FELTEN, OF PARSONS, KANSAS;

AIR-BRAKE SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17,1906.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID FELTEN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Parsons, in the county of Labette and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Brake Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a-governor-valve mechanism for automatic air-brake systems, and particularly to valve mechanism for controlling the pressure in the brake-cylinder and for permitting the auxiliary reservoir to be recharged without releasing the brakes.

The main object of the invention is to provide a valve mechanism having an exhaustcontroller communicating with the exhaust port of the triple valve and governed in action by operating means subjected to and controlled by auxiliary-reservoir pressure, whereby the auxiliary reservoir'may be recharged while the brakes are set during a service or emer ency application without reducing the bra 'e-cylinder pressure and releasing the brakes, and, further, whereby the maximum reservoir-pressure may be varied as desired to meet different requirements of service.

Another object of the invention is to provide a governor-valve mechanism provided with means whereby the maximum auxiliaryreservoir pressure may be varied and maintained at the desired pressure while the brakes are set and by which also relief will be afforded when the established ressure is exceeded to prevent undue bra 'ng pressure on the wheels of the car and the wellknown deleterious actions resulting therefrom.

The accompanyi drawing shows, partly in diagram and part y in sec-tion,'theessential elements of the ordinary automatic airbrake mechanism with my regulating-valve regulating and pressure-controlling valves, the regulating-valve performing the function of a recharging-valve to permit the auxiliary reservoir to be recharged to normal pressure after the brakes are set without releasing the brakes. These valves are arranged within a common casing having chambers for their reception, this being the preferred construction, although of course it will be understood that separate casings for the valve devices may be employed. As shown in the present instance, a chambered casting 7 is provided, which is formed on one side with a chamber or compartment 8 and a smaller chamber or compartment 9 disposed in axial alinement therewith, said chambers being separated by a wall or diaphragm 10, supporting a stuffing-box 11. W ithin the chamer 8 is a bushing 12, in which operates a diaphragm or piston 13, provided with suitable packing-rings, and mounted upon the intermediate portion of a stem 14, sliding through the stuliing-box and projecting at one end into the chamber 9 and at its opposite end through an opening in the bottom Wall or head 15 of the chamber 8 into a tubular extension 16, carried by said wall or head. The wall of the chamber 9 and the said tubular extension 16 are internally threaded for the reception of threaded plugs or nuts 17 and 18, the plug 17 being provided with a valve-seat 19 and an exhaustport 20 leading therefrom to the atmosphere, while the plug 18 is formed with a cavity 21 for the reception of thelower end of the stem 14, which is free to slide therein and guided thereby. The stem is provided at its upper end with a valve 22 to engage the seat 19, and thus out off communication between the chamber 9 and the atmosphere, while the piston 13 is formed at its base'with a boss or stop member 23 to engage the wall 15. and limit its downward movement. A coiled pressure-regulating spring 24 surrounds the X00 may be regulated by adjusting the nut 18.

The wall 15 is formed with a vent-aperture 25 to permit any air which may pass below the piston to escape to the atmosphere and prevent atmospheric resistance to the movement of the piston. I

For sake of clearness of description the parts of the device will be described in the following specification and claims as though the elements of the valve mechanism were arranged in a vertical position, thus assuming that the chamber 9 is disposed above the chamber 8; but it will of course be under stood that in practice the parts may be either vertically or horizontally disposed, as circumstances or requirements may demand.

The chamber 8 is in communication above the piston 13 with a pipe 26, leading to the auxiliary reservoir 3, and provided with a valve 27 for a purpose hereinafter described. This valve is normally left open for free communication between said chamber and reservoir, sothat the piston 13 will be exposed on one side to auxiliary-reservoir pressure and on its reverse side to the pressure of the regulating-spring 24, which resists the downward movement of the piston under such reservoirpressure. The chamber 9 communicates by a pipe 28 with the exhaust-port of the triple va ve 2, which pipe is provided with a valve 29. The valve 29 is of the twoway type, and its casing is provided with an outlet 30, leading to the atmosphere, the construction of the valve being "such that when turned to one position it will cutoff said outlet and open communication between the chamber 9 and triple valve and when turned to another position will cut off communication between said chamber 9 and the triple valve and open direct communication between the triple valve and the atmosphere. Bymeans of the valves 27 and 29 the regulating or recharging valve may be cut out of connection with the air brake system, and the exhaust from the triple permitted to vent to the at mosphere through the outlet 30. If, therefore, from any cause the spring 24 should break or the valve mechanism otherwise rendered inoperative, said valve mechanism may be thrown out of communication with the air-brake system and the latter permitted to operate in the usual way.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the exhaust from the triple will be normally confined and will be controlled by the valve 22 and that the piston 13 will be. exposed on its upper side continually to auxiliary-reservoir pressure. When the brakes are applied by the movement of the triplevalve to either service or emergency position, the pressure in the brakecylinder will be retained and air allowed to feed to the auxiliary reservoir until recharged to its full pressure, as the escape of air from the brake-cylinder throu h the triple valve will be arrested by the va ve 22. When the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir reaches the maximum, the pressure in the up er portion of the chamber 8 will balance t e pres sure of the spring 24, and upon an augmentation of pressure in the reservoir the piston 13 will be forced down against the resistance of the spring, thus opening the valve 22, so as to reopen communication between the brake cylinder'and atmos here throu h the triple valve to permit of t e release of the brakes. It will thus be apparent that the auxiliary reservoir may be recharged without releasing the brakes and that by regulating the resistance of the spring 24 through the medium of the nut- 18 the valve mechanism may be rendered capable of operation to adapt the auxiliary reservoir to be charged to any desired working pressure. By normally main= taining the auxilary reservoir pressure slightly below that required to effect the move ment of the piston against the resistance of the spring the brakes may be held applied with the required degree of pressure for any de sired period and released by the adjustment of the engineers brake-valve to an ment the pressure in the train-line to a su cient extent to overbalance or overcome the resistance of the spring.

The casting 7 is provided upon its opposite side with a chamber 31, closed at its upper end by ahead 32, having an extension 33 and a vent-aperture 34, conforming in construction and function with the parts 16 and 25 previously described. The bottom wall of said chamber is also formed with an internallythreaded extension 35, receiving an adjustable threaded plug 36, havin a valve-seat 37 and an escape-port 38, while a threaded plug or nut 39, conformin in construction to the plug 18, before descri ed, fits Within the said extension 33. Operating in a bushing 40 in the chamber 31 is a pressure retaining and controlling piston 41, carried by a stem 42, carrying at its lower end a valve 43, governing the port 37 and movable at its upper end in the cavity 44 in the plug 39. The piston 41 operates in a reverse direction to the piston 13 and is normally forced downward by a pressure-regulating spring 44, adjustable to re ulate its resistance through the medium of the lug or nut 39. Below the piston the cham er 31 is in communication with the brake-cylinder 5 through an exhaust-pipe 45, in which is arranged a valve 46, whereby the retaining-valve may be thrown out of communication with the brakecylinder when its use is not desired or whenever it is rendered inoperative through breakage of any of its parts. The valve 43 is normally held closed by the spring 44 against the pressure of air in the lower portion of the chamber 1 from the brake-cylinder, thus normally retaining in said cylinder a determined air-pressure, which may be regulated as desired within prescribed limits by varying the resistance of the spring 44. When the pressure in the brake-cylinder exceeds that for which the retaining-valve is set, the piston 41 will be moved upward and the valve 43 opened to permit the excess of pressure to exhaust to the atmosphere, after which the valve will be closed to maintain Within the IIS ' low the excess air-pressure in the brake-cylbrakecylinder the working pressure desired. It will be apparent, therefore, that the maximum braking pressure may be re lated to suit the wei ht of the load contro led thereby, thus enziiling lightly and heavily loaded cars and mixed trains to be kept under ready control in descending grades.

The port 38 may be of restricted size to alinder to escape slowly to the atmosphere in order to adapt the device for use as a highspeed brake. The slow reduction of pressure in the brake-cylinder, due to the small size of the port 38, will maintain the brakes in engagement with the wheels of a train running at a rapid rate of speed until the speed is reduced to a certain degree, at which time the excess of pressure will have exhausted from the brake-cylinder and the valve 43 moved to closed position. By this means a safe control of high-speed trains may be secured and a safe limited braking pressure left within the brake-cylinder when the speed of the train is reduced to the desired rate to prevent locking and sliding of the wheels.

While I have disclosed one form of embodiment of my invention, it will of course be understood that any variation preserving the functional characteristic of that shown may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In an air-brake system, a regulatinghers separated by a partition, one of said chambers being provided with an outlet-port, a stem arranged in said chambers and sliding through said partition, a diaphragm arranged within the other chamber, means for subjecting the diaphragm to pressure on its side adjacent the partition, a spring acting on the opposite side of the diaphragm in opposition to such pressure, means for connecting the other chamber with the exhaust-port of the triple valve, and a valve carried by the stem and operating in said chamber to close the outlet-port therein.

2. In an air-brake system, a regulatingv'alve comprising a casing having two non communicating chambers, s'aid chambers being separated by an intermediate partition, and each having a tubular extension, plugs closing the tubular extensions and adjustably mounted therein, one of said plugs being provided with an outlet, a stem projecting through the partition and chambers and provided in one of said chambers with a valve controllingsaid outlet, means for connecting said chamber with the exhaust-port of the triple valve, a diaphragm fixed to the stem within the other chamber, means for admitting auxiliary-reservoir pressure to said chamber to act upon said diaphragm, and a spring arranged between the other side of the diaphragm and the plug in the tubular extension of said chamber to oppose resistance to such pressure, substantially as described.

3. In a governing-valve for air-brake systems, a casing, a piston operating therein, said casing being provided with means for subjecting the piston to air-pressure on one side, adjustable nuts carried by the casing, one of said nuts having an exhaust-port and a valve-seat and the other a guide-socket, a stem connected with the piston and provided at one end with a valve to engage the said seat and control the said exhaust-port and movable at its opposite end in said guidesocket, and aspring between the soeketed nut and piston exerting pressure to hold the valve closed against the air-pressure, substantially as described. valve comprising a casing having two cham- 4. In an automatic air-brake system, a valve controlling the exhaust from the brakecylinder through the triple valve, a piston directly connected with said valve to move in unison therewith, a spring exerting pressure on one side of the piston to hold the valve closed, and means for subjecting the reverse side of the piston to counteracting auxiliaryreservoir pressure.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID FELTEN.

Witnesses r MoCLURE W. COWAN, GEORGE F. PARLE'JT. 

